Leveling instrument for builders.



G. L. PRANDONI. LEVELING INSTRUMENT FOR BUILDERS. AFPLIOATION rum) SEPT.17, 1914.

1,133,501. Patented Mar.30,1915.

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G. L. PRANDONI.

LEVELING INSTRUMENT FOB. BUILDERS- APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1914.

1,133,501 Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

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Mommas THE NORRIS PETERS c0 PHOTU-LITHQ. WASHING 70H ,rno STATES PATENT@F CHARLES L. PRANDONI, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW" JERSEY.

LEYELING INSTRUMENT FOR BUILDERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, CHARLES L. PRANDONI, a ,citizen of the United States,residing at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LevelingInstruments for Builders and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and .eXact de ,scription of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in combined theodolites ortransits and build- .e rs levels similar to that shown in United StatesPatent No. 461,390 granted October 13, -1891,to J. Paoli.

'Ihe object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich is very of construction, and the combination and arrangement ofparts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a transverse sectiontaken on the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan view of this improvedinstrument with parts broken out and in section; Fig. 3 is a transversevertical section taken on the line of Fig. 1; Fig. i is a longitudinalvertical section taken on the line 4.& of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 .is ,a planView showing the instrument p0- vsitioned for use as a builders level;Fig. 6

is a side elevation of the trunnion member detached; Fig. '7 is a planview thereof; and, Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken on the line8-8.of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment illustrated a horizontally revoluble alidade 1 isshown of ordinary construction and adapted to turn on a central pivot ona support (not shown). liemovably and adjustably mounted on the ends ofthis alidade 1 are two forked supports :2 and 3 provided with arcuatelooking levers 4 and 5. Each of the Supports 2 and 3 is substantially(shaped and the forked portion thereof has a polygonal inspecificationof Letters Patent.

Fatented Mar. 31), 1315.

Application filed September 17, 1914. Serial No. 862,244.

ner face to provide a plurality of spaced contact faces 6 for supportinga telescope or its trunnions with a minimum frictional engagementbetween them. The terminals of the arms of the forked or body portion ofeach of the supports 2 and '3 are bifurcated and are designed to receivebetween the furcations thereof the opposite ends of the ar cuate levers,one end of each lever being pivotally mounted between said furcations onone arm of a support and the other apertured and designed to extendbetween the furcations of the other arm of said support, Said free endof the lever and the end of the arm between which it is adapted toextend being apertured to receive a locking pin 7 whereby said lever isdetachably engaged with said support. The shank or stem 8 of eachsupport is threaded and passed loosely through an aperture in the end ofthe alidade 1 being adjustably connected therewith by nuts 9 and 10engaged with said shank on opposite sides of the alidade (see Fig. 41)whereby the bearings of said supports may be spaced varying distancesfrom the alidade. Each shank 8 is shown recessed in one side as at 11 toreceive a locking screw 12 which extendsthrough the alidade and isdesigned to assist in looking the support in adjusted position. Thesesupports 2 and 3 are clesigned to revolubly support either a telescope Tor trunnions carried by said telescope accordingly as the instrument isused as a transit or as a builders lever.

The telescope T is of ordinary construction and is adapted to rest, bycylindrical bearings '13 and 14 secured thereon in any suitable manner,in the forked ends of the supports 2 and 3 as shown in Fig. 5 when thedevice is to be used as a builders level and when in this position thetelescope is held against tilting but is permitted to turn in saidsupports. The bearings 13 and 14 are here shown in the form of flangedcollars secured to the telescope the same distance apart that thesupports 2 and 3 are spaced on the alidade and the flanges of thecollars are positioned to engage the inner or opposed faces of the forksof the supports 2 and 3 to hold the telescope against longitudinalmovement while permitting it to revolve in said supports. Fixed to saidtelescope midway between said bearings 13 and edge thereof and atdiametrically opposite points, said ears being preferably connected by astrip or flange 18, said flange and ears being preferably made integralwith each other and with the collar 15. Sockets 19 are formed on theinner face of the strip 18 and are designed to receive studs on acoiiperating element to be described. Removably secured to the collar onthe telescope are trunnions and 21, which are connected at their innerends by an integral yoke shaped or arcuate member 22. This yoke shapedtrunnion connecting member has one face thereof cut out or recessed asshown at 23 a thickness equal to the thickness of the ears 16 and 17 andthe flange 18 which are dis posed in alinement with each other and withtheir opposite faces flush with each other. The concaved portion of theyoke member 22 is designed to closely embrace the collar 15 inside theflange 18 thereof and the inner face of said member is provided withlaterally extending studs 24 which are designed to enter the sockets 19on the flange 18 and thereby assist in securely holding said collar andyoke-shaped member together against movement relatively to each other,the ends of the cars 16 and 17 terminating adjacent the end walls ofsaid recess 23. so '.The yoke member 22 is provided at its opposite endswith screw threaded apertures 25 which are positioned to register withthe apertures in the ears 16 and 17 when the parts are assembled and aredesigned to receive locking screws 26 for securely connecting theflanged collar 15 with the yokeshaped trunnion connecting member. Whensaid parts are connected as above described the trunnions 20 and 21 willbe rigidly se cured to the telescope and project in opposite directionstherefrom in a plane at right angles to the axis-of the telescope. Eachof the trunnions 20 and 21 is provided near its outer or free end with aflange 27 and a cylindrical bearing surface 28 disposed outside saidflange and the diameter of which is the same as that of the collars orbearings 13 and 14: carried by the telescope and these bearings 28 arespaced apart the same distance as the bearings 13 and 1 1 on thetelescope to adapt them to be mounted in the supports 2 and 3 when theinstrument is to be used as a transit.

From the above description it will be obvious that the trunnions 20 and21 are made integral with each other and are rigidly but detachablysecured to the telescope and that the instrument may be readilyconverted from a leveling instrument into a transit by simply releasingthe locking levers 4 and 5 and lifting the telescope out of saidsupports 2 and 3 when the instrumen is used as a leveling instrument andinserting the bearings 28 of the trunnions in said supports when theinstrument will be ready for use as a transit. When the instrument isused as a level, the telescope is mounted in the supports 2 and 3 asabove described and it' serves in all respects in the ordinary and longapproved manner. The instrument being leveled the telescope may beturned in any required position and the telescope may be reversed andthe alidade correspondingly reversed to reduce the errors due toimperfections of the instrument. The long bearings afforded by theinstrument allow the accuracy of direction of leveling for which theordinary builders level is greatly valued.

When it is desired to determine the vertical condition of a line as thewall of a building or to attain any other desired ends which require thetelescope to be inclined, the levers 4 and 5 are opened and thetelescope lifted from the supports 2 and 3 and the bearings 28 on thetrunnions 20 and 21 inserted in said supports which insures thetrunnions being disposed exactlyat right angles to the axis ofthetelescope without any adjustment being necessary. The telescope is nowfree to rock on the bearings carried by the trunnions to adapt it tosight an object at a considerable angle above or below the horizontal.Then by directing the telescope to any portion as the cornice of abuilding and locking the alidade in that position the line of sight ofthe telescope may be traversed up and down the lineand its correctnessdetermined with great-accuracy.

It is to be understood that this telescope is designed to carry theordinary leveling tool which is not shown in the drawings.

I claim as my invention 1. A combined leveling instrument and transitcomprising an alidade, forked supports mounted thereon, a yoke-shapedmember having trunnions extending in longitudinalalinement with eachother from the ends of said yoke member, one side face of said yokebeing flattened, a telescope encircling collar having a plate forengagement with the flat face of said yoke, and means for locking saidplate and yoke'together.

2. A combined leveling instrument and transit comprising an alidade,forked supports mounted thereon, a yoke-shaped member having trunnionsextending in longitu dinal alinement with each other from the ends ofsaid yoke member, one side face of said yoke being flattened, atelescope encircling collar having a plate for engagement with the flatface of said yoke, said plate and yoke carrying interlocking connectingelements, and means for locking said members together.

' 3. A combined leveling instrument and transit comprising an alidade,forked supports mounted thereon, a yoke-shaped member having trunnionsextending inlongitudinal alinement with each other from the In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set ends of sand yoke member, one slde face ofmy hand in presence of two subscribing witsald yoke being recessed, atelescope enc1r-- nesses.

cling collar having a flat face for engage- CHARLES L. PRANDONT. mentwith the inner face of the recess of Witnesses:

said yoke, logs on said collar and means for GEORGE SOHUMANN,

locking said lugs and yoke together. AUGUST GRAF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0.?"

